The large number of teenagers losing their lives on Missouri roads is a huge concern for authorities. For this reason, mock car accidents are often staged at high schools to teach young drivers about the responsibilities of those who get behind the wheels of cars. One such event was recently hosted by a high school in Bowling Green.

Yellow caution tape kept the shocked students from the accident scene at which one car had overturned, while the other had the body of a student protruding from the shattered windshield. Screams of grief became shrieks of anger as it was grasped that a classmate had caused the crash. All this time, another student cried for help from where she was trapped in the rolled-over car.

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene, along with the Missouri State Highway Patrol, who subjected the other driver to a field sobriety test before arresting him for driving under the influence. In attendance were the local police department and representatives of the sheriff’s department, the fire department and the local hospital. Organizers of the event hoped to raise awareness of the dangers of driving while drunk or distracted.

The principal of this Missouri high school said he hoped this staged crash would instill in students the responsibilities of driving. It is also important to understand that negligent drivers can be held accountable for the losses and damages suffered by others in car accidents, including passengers in the vehicles they are driving. Civil lawsuits may be filed by injured victims or the families of deceased victims against negligent drivers, and, in a case in which the driver does not survive the crash, his or her estate may be sued.

Source: bowlinggreentimes.com, “BGHS mock accident drives message home to students“, May 4, 2016